I am thinking about working with a local company to create some t-shirts for my squadron to wear with their ABUs, BDUs, and PT uniforms and I want to know if there are any guidelines I need to follow when creating these shirts other than what is found in CAPM 39-1. I have seen several examples of custom-made T-shirts for squadrons and encampments so I have a general idea of what my designs should look like.

For BDUs, you're limited to a 5-inch diameter unit insignia or designation on the upper lefthand chest area, and it must be approved by the Wing CC. Nothing on the back or sleeves.Must be black.

https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/media/cms/M391_E6F33EAAEC28A.pdf"5.1.1.4. T-Shirt. A black short or long sleeved t-shirt will be worn under the BDU shirt.Unit commanders may prescribe unit designation emblems, subject to the approval of the wingcommander, not to exceed 5 inches in diameter, in cloth or silk screen, worn on the left side of chest.Neither unit designation emblems nor commercial logos will be visible when wearing the BDU coat(shirt). Black turtlenecks may also be authorized; thermal undergarments may be black, white, brown, orcream colored and are authorized for wear as weather conditions warrant. T-shirts and turtlenecks will nothave pockets and all must be tucked into the trousers. Sleeves of long-sleeved t-shirts will not be visibleif BDU shirt cuffs are rolled up."

With ABUs there is the same prescription on the front with an allowance for a Wing-approveddesign on the back.Must be tan.

https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/media/cms/UPDATED_ABU_wear_instruction_24_Oct_BEA8C45C7D2DD.pdf"T-Shirt – A standard Desert Tan short or long sleeved t-shirt will be worn under the ABU coat. Unitcommanders may prescribe unit designation emblems, subject to the approval of the wing commander, not to exceed5 inches in diameter, in cloth or silk screen, worn on the left side of chest. Logos may also be placed on the back ofthe t-shirt with the approval of the wing commander. Neither unit designation emblems nor clothing company logoswill be visible when wearing the ABU coat (shirt). Tan turtlenecks may also be authorized; thermal undergarmentsmay be desert sand, whit e or cream colored and are authorized for wear as weather conditions warrant. T-shirts andturtlenecks will not have pockets and all must be tucked into the trousers."

PTUs don't have the same prohibitions, however common sense and the rules about corporate logos, etc., still apply.

We have unit-specific shirts, but they're effectively a PT uniform and non-uniformed activity wear. They're customized for each new training class that comes in. Ours are black with a left breast unit patch and full back imagery with the names of the class graduates and cadet instructors.

The issue we have is that cadets outgrow their clothes, and to always have a constant supply of fitting shirts, we'd need to purchase a bulk of sizes that we don't know and may not need. So we essentially let them grow out of their shirts and then just keep them as a souvenir at this point.

We don't have uniform shirts for much of the same reason, adding in the fact that cadets can still elect to wear either the BDU or ABU, and we cannot force either. If we get shirts for one, we should get shirts for the other.

We actually just revisited the discussion on uniforms last week with our cadet staff, who was unanimous on wanting to keep it the way we currently do it versus going with generic shirts. So that's what we're doing for now.

Consider how you order these to avoid having a bunch of money tied up in a stack of t-shirts at any given time. My squadron is going to move to a just-in-time type system where we do two orders a year, loosely aligned with our three cohorts, and order exact quantities of what we need. I’m tired of stocking t-shirts. Your ability to do this depends on what the minimum run for your supplier is - our local company likes us and doesn’t seem to have a minimum run, but we’ll find out.

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The moment any commander or staff member considers themselves a gatekeeper, instead of a facilitator, they have failed at their job.I can't fix all of CAP's problems, but I can lead from the bottom by building my squadron as a center of excellence to serve as an example of what every unit can be.

Consider how you order these to avoid having a bunch of money tied up in a stack of t-shirts at any given time. My squadron is going to move to a just-in-time type system where we do two orders a year, loosely aligned with our three cohorts, and order exact quantities of what we need. I’m tired of stocking t-shirts. Your ability to do this depends on what the minimum run for your supplier is - our local company likes us and doesn’t seem to have a minimum run, but we’ll find out.

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This is what we do.

You want to attempt to order sizes that are going to be accurate and be utilized. So what happens when you order 5 smalls, 5 mediums, and 5 larges, but you only use 2 smalls and need 7 mediums?

It may be more cost effective to order 100 shirts, but the end result in cost may be higher because you ordered a bunch of supplies you didn't need or not enough of a particular size.